Refrigerating apparatus



Sept. 18, 1928.

A. M. THOMSON REFRIGERATING APPARA'I'I IS Filed 001;. 20, 1926 3Sheets-Sheet VENTOR ATTORNEY5 Sept. 18, 1928.

A. M. THOMSON REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 20, 1926 ,3Sheets-Sheet VTOR ATTORN EYS Sept. 18, 1928.

- A. M. THOMSON REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed 001;. 20, 1926 3Sheets-Sheet 5 m M R M E Q W 1 7 fifi M /fi a 1 7/ m I Kw u PatentedSept. 18, 1928.

I 1,684,810. PATENT OFFICE.

Ami-nun u. 'rnomson, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, AssIeNoa'roJosErnMEBOADAN'IE; or NEW roux, N. Y.

BEFRIGERATING ArrAni 'rUs.

Application filed October 20, 1926.. Serial in. 142,846.

constructed in such a manner that the parts can be readily assembled,and so that the system will require little or no attention after it isinstalled. 4

Refrigeration s stems of the compression type include a rerigeratingelement located in a cooling chamber and supplied with aliquid refrigerant which upon changing tothe gaseous state within thecooling element,-

produces the desired cooling effect: Thesysteni includes a pum orcompressor for compressing the gasifie refrigerant, a condenser forcooling and liquefyiiig the compressed refrigerant, and an expansionvalve through which the refrigerant passes to the refriger Valve rmlngpart of the system shown in ating element. A rotary'pump is suitable asa meansfor compressing the gasified re-. frigerant; lVhere such a pumpis used, it .is necessary .to provide a sealing fluid for the pump. Itis desirableto cool this sealing fluid in order to prevent particlesthereof from being carried over into the condenser and ultimately intothe refrigeration.

element, and one object of my invention is to provide improved means forcooling this sealing fluid. a

My invention contemplates the provision of an improvedcasing for arotary pump or against the condenser and through the passages in thepump casing. A motor ispro vided fordriving the pump, and the fancanbe-located on the motor shaft or so as valve of the system ispreferably located at.

How 'of the refrigerant ,can be located on the other side of the motor.The various apparatus constructed in accordance with compressor,provision being made for:coolused for the purpose of causing air toflowv .tobe driven by this shaft. The expansionparts can'thus bearranged in a minimum of space without rendering any of the partsinaccessible in the event that repairs are necessary. v v The'variousobjects and advantages of my invention, some of which have been mentioned' above, may be best understood byv considering the followingdetailed description, which is to be taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings illustratingone embod ment of my invention. In theaccompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a refrigerating my invention; Fig. 2 is anelevation, artly in section,of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. '3 isa vertical section view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing'details ofconstruct on and n Fig. 4 is a vertical section view of a check Figs. 12 and 3. In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrateda compressorjorpump casing. 1, enclosing a rotary pump 2 ofthe gear type. The pumpshaft 3 is driven by a motor 4 through a flexible'coupling 5., Afan 6 ismounted on the motor shaft and is adapted to produce a currentof airdirected against a condenser 7 and against, the casing 1. A

pipe 8 connects the upper" part of the condenser with the interior ofthe casing 1.

- through a valve9 carried by a closure plate 10 covering an opening inthe top of this casing, The rotary pump 2 .is carried by' a closureplate 11 covering an opening in the side {of the casing near the topthereof. A gasified refrigerant such as sulfur dioxide is supplied tothe pump through a pipe 12 which communicates with the pumpthrough theclosure plate 11. I The pipe '12 communicates with a valve manifold 13which turn communicates with a' pipe 1 f leading fromtherefrigerationelement (not shown). The compressed refrigerant, after being liquefiedwithin the condenser 7, passes through the pipei15 to a float valve 16.

After passing through: this valve, the refrigerant is conducted to the"refrigeration element throughthe pipe 17.

The gasi-fied. refrigerant returning the refrigeration elementflowsthrough, pipe 14, manifold 13, p1pe -12,-t0-the pump 2,;

which compresses'it and discharges it'iiito H0 erably constructed so asto produce a diverging current of air, and inasmuch as the condenserCOllS are located near the .sides of the casing 1, the a1r which comesin contact with the coils does not thereafter come "in contact with thecasing. It is desirable to have air at atmospheric temperature come incontact with the casing rather than air- 10. One or more tubular members20 are provided in the casing near the bottom thereof and preferablyintegral with the casing. These members form air passages extendingthrough the casing and arranged in such a manner that some of the airset in motion by the fan 6 passes through these members, thus coolingthe contents of' the casing. This cooling-feature is provided primarilyfor the purpose of cooling the sealing fluid for the rotary pump, but itwill be understood that the compressed gas within the easing is alsocooled to some extent by the air passing through these tubular members.

The tubular members 20 within the casing 1 are preferably formed in sucha manner that the diameter at some point intermediate the ends of eachmember is less than the diameters of the ends, thus providing a Venturithroat through which the air passes. f

This serves to cause the air to pass througih at high velocity, and thisincreases the e ciency of the air as a cooling medium. To'

further increase the velocity of the airand to thoroughly mix the same,I ma provide a plurality of spiral baffles 21 withln each of the tubularmembers "20. V

The motor 4 and compressor casi-n 1 are mounted on a suitable support orplate 22, and I prefer to mount the casing I in such a manner that it isspaced apart from the surface of the bed plate in order to permit theair. to pass underneath the casing to cool the bottom of the same. Inorder to increase this cooling effect, I may providea plurality of ribs23 along the bottom of the casing.

The tubular members 20 are preferably spaced above the bottom of theinside of the casing, and the oil which collects in the bottom of thecasing is cooled not only by the air passing through the members 20, butalso b the air passing underneath the casing. X pipe 24 dips into theoil in the bottom of the casing 1 and serves to deliver the oil to theintake side .of the rotary pump.

Any suitable pump can be used for the purpose of compressing therefrigerant, but' I prefer to use a rotary pump such as that describedin the Groh patent No. 1,495,411. I have found that where a pump of thistype is employed, it is desirable to provide some means for preventingmotor action of the pump. WVhen the motor 4 stops, there is a tendencyfor the pump 2 to act as a motor and operate backwards due to the highpressure of the refrigerant within the casing 1. In order to preventthis action, the result of which would be to permit the compressedrefrigerant to escape into the pipe 12, I prefer to provide a checkvalve such as that illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. This valve comprisesa movable valve member 25, cooperating with a valve seat 26 and arrangedso that under normal operation of the systom, the partial vacuum createdby the pump is. sufficient to cause the refrigerant in the pipe 12 tolift the valve and permit the refrigerant to escapepast the valve andinto the pump. When the pump stops, however, the valve closes andprevents or limits" motor action of the pump.

The pump 2 and the tubular members 20 are arranged within the casing 1in such a manner that the sealing fluid discharged from the pump comesin contact with these members and the sealing fluid is thereby cooled.In order to compel the oil to come directly in contact with the members20 instead of a portion of it flowing down the side of the casing 1, Iprefer to provide one or more baflie or rib members 27, preferablyintegral with thecasing and projecting in toward the center of thecasing.

I have provided a pair of pet-cocks 28 and 29 on one side of the casing1, which serve as a means for ascertaining the level of the sealingfluid within the casing. These pet-cocks are arranged atdifl'erentlevels and the casing is normally supplied with sufficient oilso that the level of this liquid is near the u per. -cock. If at anytime it is found t at the level is not high enough so that the 'oil willflow out of the lower pet-cock, then oil can be supplied to the systemuntil there is suflicient oil so that some of it will flow, out of theupper t-cock. These pet-cocks are ofcourse clo during the normaloperation of thesystem.

It is desirable to provide some means for filtering the compressedrefrigerant before it leaves the casing 1, thus preventing smallmanifold.

globules or particles of oilfrom passingthrough the pipe 8 into thecondenser'7. To accomplish this result,- I have. provided a screeningdevice 30 consisting of a plurality of concentrically arranged tubularscreens and carried .by the closure plate 10. The parts are preferablyso arranged that this screening device is on the side of the pump remotefrom the point of discharge from the Tliie valve 9 carried by theclosure plate 10 comprises a'threa'ded valve member 31 having'a. doublevalve head cooperating with a valve seat 32 formed in the closure plate10, and with the threaded end of a plug 33 which carries the valvemember. The plug 33 has a screw-threaded connection with'the cover plate10 and it is adapted to receive packing 34 held in place by a packingring 35. The outer endof the valve member 31 is adapted to receive aWrench, and this end of the member is normally enclosed within the plugmember 33 by a cap 36. The construction and arrangement. of the valve issuch that during normal operation of the system, the valve head isclosed against the end of the plug 33, thus preventing the refrigerantfrom passing along the screwthreads toward the packing .34. The valvemember can bemoved to its other extreme position whenever it isnecessary to revent the refrigerant from flowing into t e condenser 7.

' Any suitable valve manifold can be used for the purpose of supplyingrefrigerant and sealing fluid to the system or discharging therefrigerantand sealing fluid from the system, but I prefer to use avalve manifold of the type shown in the accompanying drawings anddescribed and claimed inmy.

co-pendin-g application, Serial No. 143,289 filed October 21, 1926. Thisvalve manifold, indicated by the reference character 13, comprises acasting. having lateral passages and a transverse connection 37interconnecting the lateral passages. A filling port is arranged in oneside of the casting, preferably in line with the transverse connection37, this port being normally closed by a plug38.

Valves39, and 40 control the communication between the port abovementioned and the two lateral passages extending through the Similarvalves 40 and 41 control the flow of refrigerant through the valvemanifold, valve 40 being arranged to control the flow through pipe 12and valve 41 controlling the flow through pipe 15.

Any suitable expansion valve may be employed, but I prefer to use anexpansion valve of the type illustrated in the accompanying drawings anddescribed and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 149,-

844 filed November 22, 1926. This valve is of the float type andcomprises a float chamber communicating with the valve manifold '13 bymeans of the pipe 15''. When the level of the liquid refrigerantin thefloat chamber rises to a certain point, the float valve opens to permitsome of the refrigerant to escape into the pipe 17 leadin to therefrigeration element. The liquid flows through pipel? and ultimatelychanges to the gaseous state within the refrigeration element. Apet-cock 42 may be provided.

near the top of the float chamber. This serves as a means forwithdrawing any air trapped in the system while it is being charged, andfor withdrawing from the sys-- tem' any non-condensable gases which'maybe formed therein.

The float valve 16 and the valve manifold 13 are preferably arranged onopposite-sides of the driving motor 4, and the fan 6 is preferablyarranged between the motor "and the pump casing l, with the condensercoils ar ranged near the fan and-near the sides of the pump casing 1.'VVith the parts arranged in this manner, they are readily accessiblefor making repairs, and the apparatus can be assembled with the minimumof labor. The

apparatus occupies a very small space, thus making it particularlysuitable for domestic refrigeration purposes. It is not necessary tohave any cooling apparatus for the sealing fluid arranged on the outsideof the compressor casing, and the constructionand arrangement of partsis such that the cooling air is used ina very efiicient manner.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited tothe'particular embodiment illustrated and described, but includes suchmodifications thereof as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

1. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combinationof a casing adapted tohold oil and having an air conduit extending therethrough, means withinthe casing for com- Dressing a'gasified refrigerant, a' condensercommunicating with said casing and arranged in close proximity thereto,and means for causing air to flow through said conduit and to flowagainst'the condenser.

2. In a refrigeratin apparatus, the combination of a casing a apted tohold oil and having an air conduit extending therethrough, means withinthe casing for compressing a gasified refrigerant, a condensercomprising two interconnected units arranged near opposite sides of saidcas ng, and

a fan for eausingair to flow through said conduit and to flow againstthe condenser.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a casing adapted-tohold oil and having an air conduit extending therethrough and arrangedso that the oil may come in. contact with at least two sides thereof, apump within said casing for compressing a gasified refrigerant, ashafteom.

nected to said pump, a motor connected to said shaft, a condensercommunicating with said casing and arranged near two sides thereof, anda fan mounted on said shaft for causing air to flow through said conduitand to fiow against the condenser.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a casing adapted tohold oil and having an air passage extending therethrough, means withinthe casing for compressing a gasified refrigerant, a condensercommunicating with said casing and arranged near two sides thereof, anda fan for causing air to flow through said passage and pump within thecasing for compressing a gasified refrigerant, means for operating thepump, a condenser communlcating with the casing and arranged adjacentthereto, and

means for causing air to flow against said condenser, throu h sa dpassage and along said ribs on saidcasing ,to cool the oil in saidcasing.

6. In a refrigerating apparatus. the combination of a gas-tightcasing,-a rotary pump therein for compressing a gasifiedrefrigerant. acondenser communicatlng with said casing and receiving-the compressedrefrig erant therefrom, sealing oil for the pump, means for operatingthe pump. a tubular member within the casing forming an air 'passageextending therethrough'and means for causing air to flow against saidcondenser and through said passage. the inner diameter of said memberbeing smaller intermediate the ends thereof than the diameters of theends of said member.

7. In a refrigerating apparatus, the com- ..bination of a gas-tightcasing, a rotary pump therein for compressing a'gasifiedrefrigerant, acondenser including two connected spaced units communicating with saidcasing and receiving the refrigerant compressed by said pump, sealingoil for the pump, means for operating the pump, a tubular member withinthe casing forming an air passage ex:

tending therethrough, the axis of said passage passing between the twounits of said condenser, and means for causing air'to flow against saidcondenser and through said passage, the said member having spiralbafiles on the interior walls thereof.

8. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a gas-tight casing,a rotary pump therein for compressing a gasified refrigerant, acondenser adjacentsaid casing and communicating therewith for receivingthe refrigerantcompressed by said pump, a tubular member Within thecasing forming an air passage extending therethrough,'- and 'means forcausing air to flow against said.

condenser and through said passage, the I said member having spiralbafiles on the interlor thereof, and the inner diameter of said memberbeing smaller intermediate the.

ends thereof than the diameters ofthe ends of said member.

9. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a gas-tight casing,a rotary pump therein for compressing a gasified refrigerant. acondenser communicating with said casing and arranged in close proximitythereto. sealing oil for the pump, means for operating the pump, atubular member within the casing-forming an air passage extendingtherethrough, and means for caus ng air to flow against said condenserand through "said-passage. the said member being arranged near thebottom ofthe casing but spaced apart therefrom,' and the bottom of thecasing being provided with a plurality.

of heat radiating ribs.

. 10. In a refrigerating apparatus, agastight casing adapted to holdsealing oil and having an opening in one side thereof near the top. ofthe casing, a tubular member integral with the casing forming an airpas-v sage extending therethrough, a detachable closure plate for theopening in said casing,

a rotary pump supported. 'by said closure plate, the said pump beingarranged with respect to said tubular member in such a man- I pump comesin contact with said member, a condenser comprising two spacedinterconnected coils communicating with said casing, said coils beinglocated on opposite sides of the axis'of said tubular member, and meansfor causing air to flow against said condenser and through said tubularmember.

ALFRED M.'THOMSON ner that sealing 'oil discharged from the In testimonywhereof I afiix my signature 2

